Guardian taps Jonathan Shainin to oversee long-form project

6/4/14 9:52 AM EDT

Jonathan Shainin, a Web editor at The New Yorker, is moving to London to head up a new long-form initiative for The Guardian.

Shainin, who has worked for publications as far afield as Abu Dhabi and Delhi, India, will oversee a new section of The Guardian's print and online editions, sources familiar with the move told us. The section will rely on long-form pieces from both Guardian writers and outside contributors.

Guardian spokesperson Oliver Rawlins confirmed Shainin's hire but declined to elaborate on the nature of his position.

"The Guardian announced a number of senior editorial appointments back in March, including Jonathan Freedland's move to executive editor, Opinion, where he will take responsibility for leaders, Comment pages, and a new review space for longer reads," Rawlins wrote in an email.

"It's really exciting that the hugely talented Jonathan Shainin will be joining that team later in the year, but it's too early to go into details at this stage."